What’s the best new NC modern home in 2025? Take a look and have your say
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- Eighteen modernist homes compete in 2025 George Matsumoto Prize statewide.
- Online public voting for People’s Choice award remains open through July 1.
- NCModernist continues efforts to preserve and promote state design heritage.
One house looks like a gigantic glass box.
Another has a V-shaped roof as if it’s about to take flight.
A handful of others resemble treehouses, featuring elevated platforms perched on stilts, disappearing into the woods.
These are among the design entries for the People’s Choice category in the 2025 George Matsumoto Prize, the state’s highest honor exclusively for new Modernist residential architecture.
The competition, now in its 13th year, has a total of 18 entries across the state, from Asheville to Wilmington, including seven within 50 miles of Raleigh.
Online public voting is now open and ends July 1.
“Anyone, anywhere, can vote, not just architects or residents of North Carolina,” said George Smart, founder and executive director of NCModernist/USModernist.
The prizes are named for the famed Japanese-American architect George Matsumoto who lived and practiced in Raleigh, teaching at N.C. State’s School of Design between 1948 and 1961.
His work won more than 30 awards before his death at 93 in 2016 and a legacy of 13 Modernist homes across the Triangle. That includes 606 Transylvania Ave. in Raleigh, which was saved from demolition last year after news went viral, sparking online protests. It was subsequently moved and is now being remodeled.
Smart said organizations like NCModernist continue to document and protect the state’s Modernist houses, which are “so important to North Carolina’s design heritage.”
The movement — which prioritizes functionality and practicality — is thriving, he added.
“People realize that advances in materials, insulation, power sources, and climate-friendly building techniques make building or renovating even more attractive,” he said.
To see a full list and vote, go to www.ncmhcompetitions.org.
This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 4:46 PM with the headline "What’s the best new NC modern home in 2025? Take a look and have your say."
